Ad Astra

Somewhere in the darkest reaches of space, the reason for existence lies. Or, that's what "Ad Astra" argues to a brilliant degree. Starring Brad Pitt, the James Gray-directed space epic was initially derided by some for relying too heavily on narration to describe the internal life of its central character. Others said it was a film missing incident, like the point made wasn't worth the journey. But as Gray will say in the audio commentary of the new 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and Digital Combo Pack of the film, the thirst for space exploration often leads to internal discovery rather than the reasons we want. Truly one of the best films of 2019, "Ad Astra" looks and sounds terrific on this new home release.

Sometime in the near future, the Earth looks to the stars for new planets to colonize. For Earth has now suffered at the deeds of man. But after the solar system is struck by mysterious power surges of unknown origin that threaten human life, Major Roy McBride (Pitt) is sent on a secret mission to seek the source of these surges and to silence them. Unfortunately, this mission puts him on a collision course with his father H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) who was missing and presumed dead after a deep space mission went horribly awry.

At the heart of "Ad Astra" is Roy and his struggle to maintain composure in the most stressful of a mission. You see, NASA prefers their astronauts to be emotionless husks dead set on getting the job done right. But Roy has seemingly pushed away everyone he's once loved because of this, and his fractured mind began when his father abandoned him all those years ago. Gray is conscious of how dramatic that sounds, which is part of why the spectacle of the film really lends itself to the overarching narrative. He takes a very unfussy look at space travel while also deploying what he thinks would happen if humans from Earth were able to colonize on other planets. That means badgering bureaucracy, corporate subterfuge and the removal of the individual from the extraordinary.

Pretty much everything has lost its way in "Ad Astra," from NASA's core concepts to space travel in general. But in one man's pursuit for the unknown, he learns to untether himself (literally) from his forefathers and pave a new life.

"Ad Astra" was originally shot on film and finished at 4K, which really lends the 4K Blu-ray presentation remarkable beauty. There's a layer of grain over the picture that's never intrusive, although it constantly reminds us that what we're watching is as close to science fiction as Gray wants to get. Everything is stripped down, favoring light grey, cobalt blue and orange-red hues that really make the film pop. If you couldn't tell from the review about, the story is all about setting a mood, and Gray and his cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema put in the legwork to make imagery exude emotion rather than character action.

As for the special features, I highly recommend listening to the audio commentary with James Gray about the film. Most of it is him shooting the shit about what informed the film and how much he loves what informed it, but he's a wealth of filmmaking knowledge who's able to speak clearly about his intentions. The rest of the featurettes are brief, although worthwhile, looks behind the making of the film. Other special features include:

� Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary by James Gray
� To the Stars
� A Man Named Roy
� The Crew of the Cepheus
� The Art of Ad Astra
� Reach for the Stars
� Space Age: The VFX

"Ad Astra"
20th Century Fox 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray & Digital Combo Pack
$45.99
https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/ad-astra